2025 Festival Poetry Slam

Jazz Money is an award-winning Wiradjuri Australian poet and artist, producing works that encompass installation, performance, film, and print. Their writing and art have been presented, performed, and published nationally and internationally. Jazz has written two award-winning poetry collections, how to make a basket and mark the dawn, as well as the children’s book The Frog’s First Song, illustrated by Jason Phu.

Jazz Money adalah penyair dan seniman Wiradjuri Australia pemenang penghargaan yang menghasilkan karya-karya mencakup instalasi, pertunjukan, film, dan cetakan. Karya tulis dan seni mereka telah dipresentasikan, ditampilkan, dan dipublikasikan secara nasional dan internasional. Jazz telah menulis dua kumpulan puisi pemenang penghargaan, how to make a basket dan mark the dawn, serta buku anak-anak The Frog's First Song, yang diilustrasikan oleh Jason Phu.

Miles Merrill is an American performing writer who brought poetry slams to Australia from Chicago. He has sparked dozens of spoken word programs across the Asia-Pacific region. He founded the Australian Poetry Slam program, released two albums, performed solo at the Sydney Opera House, and is a lecturer at the National Institute of Dramatic Art (NIDA) in Sydney. He is also the CEO of the charity Word Travels, which each year inspires and hires people from diverse communities to share their stories and poems with audiences around the world.

Miles Merrill adalah seorang penulis pertunjukan asal Amerika yang memperkenalkan poetry slam ke Australia dari Chicago. Ia telah menginspirasi puluhan program spoken word di seantero Asia-Pasifik. Ia mendirikan program Australian Poetry Slam, merilis dua album, tampil solo di Sydney Opera House, dan menjadi dosen di National Institute of Dramatic Art (NIDA) di Sydney. Ia juga menjabat sebagai CEO organisasi nirlaba Word Travels, yang setiap tahun menginspirasi dan mempekerjakan orang-orang dari berbagai komunitas untuk berbagi cerita dan puisi mereka kepada audiens di seluruh dunia.

Ray Shabir is an Indonesian poet and writer. His first book, Public Feelings & Other Acts, was published in 2018 and followed the next year by his art show Gallery of Anxiety. In 2021, he released his second book, KINK, his first poetry collection. Most recently, Ray released his sophomore poetry collection, Benevolence!, a project that explores love, grief, and tenderness through raw, diaristic verses. Beyond writing, he has worked as a model, artist, and graphic designer, and is always at work on his next book.

 Ray Shabir adalah penyair dan penulis asal Indonesia. Buku pertamanya, Public Feelings & Other Acts, diterbitkan pada 2018 dan setahun kemudian diikuti oleh pameran seni Gallery of Anxiety. Pada 2021, ia merilis buku keduanya, KINK, yang merupakan kumpulan puisi pertamanya. Baru-baru ini, Ray merilis kumpulan puisi keduanya, Benevolence!, sebuah proyek yang mengeksplorasi cinta, duka, dan kelembutan melalui bait-bait yang mentah dan bernuansa diaristik. Di luar dunia penulisan, ia juga berkarya sebagai model, seniman, dan desainer grafis, serta terus mengerjakan buku terbarunya.

Shinta Febriany is an Indonesian director, playwright, and poet whose works explore gender issues, embodiment, and urban life in Eastern Indonesia. In 2007, she received the Celebes Award from the South Sulawesi Provincial Government for her contributions to theatre. She has published two poetry collections: Aku Bukan Masa Depan in 2013 and Gambar Kesunyian di Jendela in 2017. Since 2015, she has led the City in Theatre Project with Kala Teater, a research-based performance initiative running through 2025 that examines urban issues through the voices of city residents. In 2018, she participated in the Indonesian Writers Residency in the United Kingdom, supported by the National Book Committee. This year, she was appointed as one of the curators for the 2025 Festival’s Emerging Writers program.

Shinta Febriany adalah sutradara, penulis naskah, dan penyair Indonesia yang karyanya mengeksplorasi isu-isu gender, ketubuhan, dan kehidupan perkotaan di Indonesia Timur. Pada 2007, ia menerima Penghargaan Celebes dari Pemerintah Provinsi Sulawesi Selatan atas kontribusinya dalam dunia teater. Ia telah menerbitkan dua kumpulan puisi: Aku Bukan Masa Depan (2013) dan Gambar Kesunyian di Jendela (2017). Sejak 2015, ia menginisiasi City in Theatre Project bersama Kala Teater, sebuah inisiatif pertunjukan berbasis riset yang berlangsung hingga 2025 dan mengkaji isu-isu perkotaan melalui suara-suara warga kota. Pada 2018, ia mengikuti program Residensi Penulis Indonesia di Inggris yang didukung oleh Komite Buku Nasional. Tahun ini, ia ditunjuk sebagai salah satu kurator program Emerging Writers di Festival 2025.